Sprint Planning – part 1

The Sprint starts with Sprint Planning, a meeting where the whole team comes together. The aim of the first part of Sprint Planning is for the Development Team to forecast which items, from the top of the already prioritized Product Backlog, they think they can achieve in the coming Sprint.

Several factors influence their decision including the following:

1. The latest product increment.
2. The items in the Product Backlog.
3. The team capacity for the upcoming Sprint; for example, are any members on leave?
4. How did the team perform in the last Sprint? 
5. Are there any work items being carried over from the last Sprint? 

The usual process will involve the Development Team taking the next story from the top of the Product Backlog and discussing whether they think they can complete it as part of the coming Sprint. Usually, this begins with one of the team reading the story aloud, including the acceptance criteria. The Product Owner should be available for questions if the Development Team needs any clarifications. If, after discussion, our team believe they can complete it in the coming Sprint, they put it on the Sprint Backlog. They then take the next story from the Product Backlog and repeat the process.

Once the Development Team has determined the items from the Product Backlog they think they can achieve, the Scrum team as a whole works to set the Sprint Goal.